Farage resigns: expert comment as by-election looms

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has resigned as an MP for Clacton, triggering a by-election in which he will stand. 

Politics and history experts from the University of Reading comment on the strategy of the Reform UK leader and the historical precedent for previous resignations. For interviews, contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk

Dr Miriam Sorace, Associate Professor in Comparative Politics at the University of Reading, said: “Nigel Farage’s resignation looks like an attempt to use an election to clear his name. 

“If Farage wins a new vote, he can, and probably will argue, that voters have settled the matter, and that any further questions are just the establishment refusing to accept the result. 

"This is a classic populist tactic. Farage appears to be trying to draw attention away from questionable political donations and unclear political influence, in an effort to shore up his anti-establishment image."

“For Labour, the opportunity is to make the Clacton contest about honesty and integrity, and to present Reform not as a movement against the elite, but as a front for elite financial interests. The outcome will depend on which story wins out, whether it's 'Farage versus the establishment', or 'Farage and the old politics of money'."

Dr Jacqui Turner, Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Reading, said: “There is plenty of historical precedent for this kind of move. One of the most striking examples is Ramsay MacDonald in 1924. He weathered a similar political storm when he accepted a Daimler and £30,000 in McVitie’s Biscuits shares from Sir Alexander Grant, who was given a baronetcy. The car can't have been that great as the shares were to pay for its maintenance. Macdonald returned the car in 1925 but the scandal contributed to the fall of the first minority Labour government. MacDonald went on to stand for election again and, despite this, became Labour Prime Minister for a second time in 1929 before he went to the polls again in 1931 as the head of the National Government. MacDonald, 'the great betrayer', was expelled from the Labour Party in 1931. However, the financial scandal influenced how UK leaders still behave today.
 
“Many MPs stood again during the interwar period, when general elections came round frequently, though they often stood in different seats rather than facing the same voters twice. Some of the stories from that era are so brazen they would be unthinkable in politics today – or would they?" 

Dr Lawrence McKay, lecturer in Comparative Politics at the University of Reading, said: “Farage’s resignation is a bold gambit. The political logic is understandable as it stops the Parliamentary investigation into his affairs dead in its tracks, at least for the duration of the by-election. 

“While media stories will not let up, the situation comes back into his control, as he is no longer at risk of the damaging signals sent by official investigations, or of a recall petition being triggered that would force a by-election with Farage in a weaker position. The campaign would force an increasingly divided party to publicly rally behind his leadership, and a by-election win would allow him to re-assert authority over Reform UK. 

“On the other hand, the decision holds profound political risks. Under normal circumstances, Farage would be favoured for an easy win in Clacton, a place which became a byword for ‘Brexitland’ and where he holds a majority of over 8,000 votes.

“However, these are far from normal circumstances. For a segment of Reform voters, more attracted by Farage’s man-of-the-people image than ideology, the scandal could have dented his appeal. Furthermore, despite their success in the polls, Reform have recently faced some high-profile setbacks in the Gorton and Denton and Makerfield by-elections.

“The contest might prove an enticing prospect for an outsider, anti-corruption candidate, or for Restore Britain, which has made its own power base further up the coast in Great Yarmouth.”